The Actor's Candid Playlist: Starting with Childhood Favorites to Unexplained Aversions
The earliest track I became enamored with
My most primal recollection is walking into a space at preschool where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was captivated by the sound effects, and Lennon bellowing: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the hook, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”
The very first record I acquired
When I was eight, I was victorious in a competition at school to choose a brand new record to play at the weekly dance party we had on Fridays. My teacher took me to a local store, and I picked out Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first single I bought with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a music store in Lancashire. It was topping the charts at the time, and I chose it when my father noted that it was by a former member of the Beatles.
The track I sing at karaoke
I candidly cannot stand karaoke and avoid it at all costs. But if forced, I’d go with Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.
The piece I inexplicably know every lyric to
I recently discovered that I have memorized almost all the lyrics to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.
The best song to put on at a party
It hinges on what stage of the event you are at. For the beginning it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the night wears on, I’d work through the Artist, the Stones and Bowie, and when it gets lively, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an undeniable hit.
The track I can not bear
I strangely loathe Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.
The ideal song to have sex to
Come Together by the Beatles.
The LP that changed my life
When I was 12 and starting to study the guitar, I’d only listen to 1950s rock ’n’roll, and was fixated on Elvis, Chuck Berry, the killer, the New Orleans legend, Buddy Holly and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder introduced me to Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still guitar music, but it was electrifying rock music. The moment he dropped the record on the record player, I was a fan for life.
The tune that gets me up in the morning
What’d I Say in its full glory by Ray Charles.
The piece that makes me cry
Most music makes me touched. Aretha Franklin, The Chairman of the Board, Presley and the Fab Four all make me cry because of the harmony and utter perfection of the singing. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner hits me hard every time.
The track I’d like performed at my funeral
The King. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.
